What will be your Legacy? …a question worth asking.

I read an article recently about Jonathan Ive, designer at Apple who has helped turn the company into the power house it is today. The article describes Ive as “helping Jobs bring Apple back from the brink of financial ruin with the whimsical iMac computer, whose original models came in bright colors at a time when bland shades dominated the PC world.” His innovation continued to lead the company to the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

One sentence in the article really captured my attention: "People who have worked with Ive describe him as humble and sweet, quiet and shy, but also confident, hard-working and brilliant." What a legacy!

We all have a reputation that we have probably earned. What would you want your coworkers, family, friends, and acquaintances to say about you? Here is what I would love for people to say about me: • He works hard and plays hard: Both are incredibly important. It is valuable to be seen as someone who works hard and cares about what they do and why they do it. However, it is just as important to have fun while you are working and when you are not working. I have said many times I get up every day and can’t wait to get to work, and at the end of every day can’t wait to get home. It doesn’t get any better than that. • He is humble: I know humility is not always seen as a value, nor is it always respected, but I find great value in humility and most often admire those who have a large dose of it. • He is honest: Character is a trait that we hire for within our department, and honesty is essential to being a person of character. I have said many times you can say anything honestly if you can find the right way to say it. • He loves his family: Need I say more? • He is a true friend: They say you are lucky if you have one or two real friends. To have friends, you need to be a friend. • He loves the people he works with: I have been incredibly lucky that over my 27 plus years of full time employment, the people I have worked with have been some of my dearest friends and people whom I have admired the most. If you are lucky enough to have this in your life, be smart enough to recognize its value. • He is guided by his faith in Christ: It is easy to be seen as a “Christian,” but it is more important to be seen as one who’s faith in Christ actually guides the way they live: to love Him so much you want to follow. Truth is, if my faith in Christ guides the way I live I will work hard and play hard, be humble, honest, love my family, be a true friend, and love the people I work with.

I am sure I could go on but these are some things that if people said them about me I would be happy with my legacy. What is one thing that you would want to be part of your legacy?